Overwrought and undeniable, Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell remains both
one of rock's biggest--and least likely--hit albums. The byproduct of
a partnership between beefy singer Marvin Lee "Meat Loaf" Aday and
fellow journeyman/National Lampoon Road Show cast member Jim Steinman,
Bat out of Hell met 1977's vaunted Year of Punk with a blast of
neo-operatic, Wagnerian-scaled bombast (based on Peter Pan, no less)
that was as reactionary as anything the spiked set and their supporters
could possibly imagine--13 million units worth, and counting. Bat seems
to have thrived on the same formula that's made Andrew Lloyd Webber a
multimillionaire knight: if you do kitsch, do it big. And what could be
more kitschy and emblematic of the '70s than the ubiquitous "classic rock"
(an overused adjective that applies all too well here) of "Two out of
Three Ain't Bad" or the breathless nookie-quest, "Paradise by the
Dashboard Light," replete with Phil Rizzuto calling the play-by-play? This
digitally remastered edition also includes '78-vintage bonus live cuts of
"Bolero" (the live show's equally over-the-top opener) and "Bat out of
Hell" that showcase the production's energetic, perfectionist bent. The
sonic upgrading here also underscores the oft-overlooked efforts of
producer Todd Rundgren. --Jerry McCulley (courtesy of amazon.com)